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International Admissions

Oundle is an English boarding school with an international outlook, welcoming a small proportion of its pupils from countries across the world.

Suitable candidates for Oundle will have good academic backgrounds but it is just as important that they arrive wishing to join in a wide range of activities; they will be able to contribute through their involvement rather than merely benefit by being at the School. Oundle is very much a seven-day-a-week boarding school. All pupils will join a boarding House community of approximately 60 others ranging from 13 to 18 years of age. With the exception of holidays, the long breaks (two weeks in October, one week in February and one week in May) and two long weekends, boarders are present and active in School the whole time.

A pupil's English language needs to be good enough to cope with school life right from the start. Most pupils join Oundle in September each year, the main exception being a small number from Malaysia and Singapore who join the sixth form in January. Sixth Form entry provides excellent preparation for university, but some will consider that the full value of an Oundle boarding education is best gained by joining the School at a younger age. There are many applicants at all levels and so parents are urged to apply early, especially for daughters.

Overseas pupils are asked to have a guardian in the UK (the School can provide pointers on how to find one if this is difficult), and the excellent local taxi services work with the School to arrange shared transport to the airports.

Curriculum

The School runs a carefully balanced curriculum designed to give good preparation for future careers whilst providing a strong cultural and creative education, including ancient and modern European languages. Whilst striving for this ideal, the School understands that it needs to be flexible in the case of pupils whose first language is not English. After assessment when they join Oundle, such pupils may be excused one or more foreign languages, and arrangements are made for extra English support lessons on a small group or one-to-one basis which are charged for as an extra. Similarly, Mandarin Chinese is available to those who already have a background in the language.

Entry

All overseas applicants should follow the entrance procedure as outlined for Boarding and Day Admissions. In addition, it would be advantageous for all applicants from overseas to provide us with a UKiset report at the earliest stage of the application process.